Migratory shorebird research in north west Australia

Kim Onton, Danny Rogers, Chris Hassell & Ken Gosbell

Photo: Jan van de Kam

• Roebuck Bay and Eighty Mile Beach are the most important shorebird sites in Australia (>550,000 birds).

• AWSG have undertaken research for 30+ continuous years.– Populations surveys– Migration studies (banding, flagging, telemetry)– Disturbance and roost choice studies– Feeding ecology and invertebrate communities

• Determine population trends and drivers to guide management and policy.

• Pressures: – Local: Disturbance, increased nutrient inputs, mangrove incursion.– International: Large-scale reclamation projects in the Yellow Sea.

Photos: Kim Onton, Adrian Boyle

Current research priorities• Analysis of the effects of the loss of the Saemangeum estuary

in South Korea on north west Australian shorebird populations.

• Analysis of changing roost site preference in Roebuck Bay in response to local habitat pressures.

• Ongoing surveys and studies in north west Australia, enabling shorebird populations in the region to continue to act as a barometer for the health of both local ecosystems and for shorebird populations throughout the entire East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

Photos: Adrian Boyle, Jan van de Kam, Danny Rogers